Wire marking apparatus



March 27, 1956 J' LOWE 2,739,528'

WIRE MARKING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1951 (f/nes [awe f ATTORN United States Pate:

2,739,528 WIRE MARKING APPARATUS James Lowe,. Santa Ana, Calif., V assignor to Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 13, i951, seal Nb. 220,861 2 claims. (ci. V101-37) Y This invention relates to improved apparatus for printing legends on insulated wiresor cables. The new apparatus comprises a printing wheel mounted in lightpressure contact with a continuously moving insulated wire at a point, say, where the coating is still in a pliable and deformable state. The printing wheel is driven independently of its contact with the wire, but at a peripheral velocity identical with the linear velocity of the wire, by a drive wheel which frictionally engages the wire at a point remote from the printing wheel and where the insulation is relatively hard and non-deformable. The drive wheel and the printing wheel are interconnected by any suitable driving means, but most advantageously by an electrical synchro drive.

In apparatus used heretofore for printing legends on insulated wire, the moving wire, a short distance from the point where the insulation is applied, is caused to frictionally engage the peripheral surface of a printing wheel having letters or numbers etched into it. The printing wheel revolves in a bath of printers ink and surplus ink is removed from the etched periphery by a doctorblade. Since the printing wheel is driven solely by the moving wire which frictionally engages it, any sudden changes in the speed of the wire or any abnormal friction in the bearings of the printing Wheel or slight misalignment of the printing wheel shaft tends to slow the wheel below the velocity at which the wire is moving. Changes in the consistency of the printing ink and entry of dust or other foreign matter into the ink bath also tend to retard the printing wheel. Consequently, the printing on the insulation frequently is blurred, and the smooth iinish of the insulation coating is sometimes roughened. Also, large sizes of wire cannot be printed by this apparatus due to the softness of the freshly applied insulation and the heavy pressure that must be exerted upon the freshly insulated wire in order to hold it in contact with the printing wheel and to drive the wheel against the resistance caused, for example, by the ink bath, the doctor-blade, and the printing wheel bearings.

The apparatus o-f the present invention comprises a printing wheel mounted in light-pressure contact with the insulated wire at a point where the insulation is still soft and deformable and can take a clear imprint. The printing wheel is driven independently of the moving wire by a synchro-motor, or similar means, at a peripheral velocity essentially identical with linear velocity of the wire. The synchro-motor is electrically connected to a synchro-generator driven by a drive wheel which is in iirm frictional contact with the wire at a point where the insulation is hard and relatively non-deformable. With this apparatus the friction of the doctor-blade, or an increased load on the printing wheel caused by a change in the consistency of the ink, or any other force that resists rotation of the printing wheel, is overcome by the syncro-motor without imparting any drag of the printing wheel on the wire.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention is de- V 2,739,528 `ilifein-tar Mar. 2 7, 195e scribed below with reference to the accompanying'drawing, whichshows the new apparatus diagrammatically.

Freshly insulated wire 5 emerges from an extruder head 6 where Athe insulation is applied and passes in the direction indicated by the arrows in light-pressure contact with the peripheral surface 7 bf a printing wheel 8. The printing wheel is advantageously mounted under the moving wire, and at a point relatively'near to the extruder where the freshly applied insulation is still soft and deformable and best able to rec'eive .a clear imprint. The printing wheel 3 revolves in an ink pot 9, wherein it is partially immersed in a poolof ink. As the printing wheel rotates, a doctor-blade 10 removes excess ink from its peripheral surface, which is etched with the legend to be imprinted on the wire'. A guide wheel 11 is advantageously placed above the coated wire in contact with it just before it reaches the printing wheel 8, and a second guide wheel 12 is advantageously placed above the coated wire in contact with it just after it has passed the printing wheel, such guide wheels serving to align the wire with the printing surface 7 and to hold the wire thereagainst with the desired light pressure.

The printing wheel is driven by a synchro-motor 13 connected to the printing wheel shaft 14. The synchromotor 13 is electrically connected through lines 15 to a synchro-generator 16, and the synchro-motor and generator system is electrically connected to a power line 17. T he synchro-generator 16 is driven through gears 18 by a drive wheel 19 which is held iimly in frictional contact with the moving `wire 5 by apressure-exerting wheel 20. The drive wheel 19 engages the wire at a point relatively far away from the extruder, where the insulation coating has become cool and hard. The .drive wheel is of the same diameter as the printing wheel, and the ratio of the gears 18 is 1:1, so that the printing wheel 8 is driven by the synchro-motor 13 at the same peripheral speed as the drive wheel 19 and hence at the peripheral speed corresponding to the linear velocity of the Wire. The gears 18 simplify mounting of the synchro-generator, but otherwise are unnecessary.

In using the apparatus described above, the insulated wire passes in firm frictional contact with the drive wheel 19, causing it to rotate at a velocity corresponding to the linear velocity of the wire, and thereby driving the synchro-generator 16 at a speed corresponding to the forward velocity of the wire. The synchro-generator electrically drives the synchro-motor 13 at the same speed, and it in turn drives the printing wheel 8 at the same peripheral velocity as the drive wheel 19. Since the synabro-generator 16 and its drive wheel 19 are mounted at a point where the wire insulation is hard and substantially non-deformable, the wire may safely be held against the drive wheel 19 by the pressure-exerting wheel 20 with suihcient force so that no slippage occurs between the wire and the drive Wheel. The printing wheel, therefore, is driven at wire speed independently of its contact with the wire, and in consequence the force with which the printing wheel bears against the soft and still deformable insulation at the point where printing takes place need be no greater than necessary to make a clear imprint of the desired legend on the wire. The friction of the doctor-blade against the printing wheel, the resistance to rotation of the printing wheel caused by high ink viscosity, bearing friction, and all similar forces tending to retard rotation of the printing wheel, are overcome by the synchro-motor without allowing variation in the speed of the printing wheel, so that blurred printing and roughened insulation are eliminated. Further, since the new apparatus accomplishes satisfactory imprints with very slight pressure being exerted by the printing surface at a point where insulation is still soft and deformable, it

has been found possible to print much larger sizes of insulated wire than was formerly practicable without any commercially injurious distortion of the thick insulation.

I claim:

l. Apparatus for printing legends on the surface of a soft freshly applied insulation on a moving wire on which said insulation shortly becomes relatively hard and nondeformable, comprising a printing wheel mounted to revolve with its peripheral surface in light pressure contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation at a point Where such insulation is still soft and deformable, two guide wheels each positioned with its axis substantially parallel to the axis of said printing wheel and on a side of said wire diametrically opposite said printing wheel, one of said guide wheels being positioned just before and the other just after the printing wheel and each of said guide wheels being mounted to revolve with its surface in contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation, whereby the printing wheel is held in said light pressure Contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation, a drive wheel mounted in rm contact with the wire insulation at a point where such insulation has become hard and non-deformable, said drive wheel being driven by the insulated wire at a rotational velocity corresponding to the linear velocity of the wire, and means for driving the printing wheel from said drive Wheel in synchronism therewith, whereby the peripheral surface of said printing wheel revolves independently of its contact with the wire at a peripheral linear velocity identical with the linear velocity of the wire and clearly imprints legends upon the wire insulation without blurring and without marring the inish thereof.

2. Apparatus for printing legends on the surface of soft freshly applied insulation on a moving wire on which said insulation shortly becomes relatively hard and nondeforrnable, comprising an ink reservoir, a printing wheel mounted to receive ink from said reservoir and with its peripheral surface in light pressure contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation at a point relatively near to the point of application of such insulation and where such insulation is still soft and deformable, two guide wheels each positioned with its axis substantially parallel to the axis of said printing wheel and on a side of said wire diametrically opposite said printing wheel, one of said guide wheels being positioned just before and the other just after the printing wheel, and each of said guide wheels being mounted to revolve with its peripheral surface in contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation, whereby the printing wheel is held in said light pressure contact with the moving surface of the freshly applied wire insulation, a drive Wheel mounted in rm contact with the wire insulation at a point relatively far from the point of application of such insulation and where such insulation has become relatively hard and nondeformable, said drive wheel being driven by the moving wire at a rotational velocity corresponding to the linear velocity of the wire, a synchro-generator driven by said drive wheel, and a synchro-motor electrically connected to said synchrogenerator and connected in driving relation with said printing Wheel, whereby the peripheral surface of said printing wheel is driven independently of the wire at the point where it is in contact therewith at the same linear velocity as the wire.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,369,450 Manss Feb. 22, 192i 1,849,407 McKee Mar. 15, 1932 2,075,095 Cordes Mar. 30, 1937 2,169,016 Baker Aug. 8, 1939 2,184,552 Hinsky Dec. 26, 1939 2,186,555 Phillips Jan. 9, 1940 

